Downhole gas separators are used to separate free gas that is flowing from a reservoir into a wellbore together with produced liquids. Downhole pumps are typically “volumetric” pumps, and any free gas that is allowed into the pumps reduces the efficiency of these pumps and/or could damage the pumps.
There are different configurations of gas separators that use the same principles or theory for gas separation and follow the same cycles to allow gas to separate out from liquids. For example, during an up-stroke of a pump, liquids are drawn through the gas separator and pumped to the surface, whereas during a down-stroke, liquids with free gas are at rest inside the gas separator and the free gas can separate out of the liquids before the liquids are drawn into the pump.